Online Chess: An Idle Amusement?
Online Chess is one of the mostly played online games in this Internet age. The origin of the game is not very clear. As time goes by chess undergoes several changes on how it is played thus many chess variants are also available online. It differs from chess on the chessboard and in pieces used and on how it is played.
Internet chess is played just like the offline chess game. The chessboard with sixty-four squares that have dark and light color arranged alternately and sixteen chess pieces for each player is used. These pieces have a respective way of moving. As the game proceeds each piece is captured by opposing pieces. The goal of the game is to capture/trap the opponent’s king. It is also known as the checkmate. Another way of ending the game is when the opponent player surrenders or resigns because the situation is hopeless and by draw or tie.
In playing chess online, one can acquire experience which is important in chess skill improvement. It is of great help because it is accessible and a chess enthusiast can play anytime and can pick players which have similar or at level with a certain chess skill. Chess online is also available for a single player. It does not only have social benefits but by playing chess more often it builds your critical thinking skill, the value of concentration, enhances mental alertness and learning to analyze a problem and finding a solution. So, chess online is not just an idle amusement for it stimulates the brain at the course of the game. This is why more websites in chess online is very popular today. These websites offer a lot of option to choose from on how you can enjoy playing chess online. Parents and even in schools students are encouraged to play chess on their leisure time.
What is important like any other online game is to enjoy the game and build a good relationship with people along the way. A good attitude on winning & losing is greatly appreciated always.
Playing chess online helps you track your level of expertise
One of the major beneficiaries of the technological advancements, especially in the sports arena, should be none other than the ancient game of Chess.
The game of chess, also referred to as a War Game, or the King of Games, was first played way back in the 6th Century A.D in India and was spread to other countries across the world. By 1475, the game gained much popularity and attracted the interest of the intellectuals and the common people. Since 1900, the game got professional recognition and World Championships are regularly held then.
The advancement of technology in the form of computers and the World Wide Web has made this noble game more popular.
With the development of online chess, it is easy for any person, having a little knowledge about the game and the passion for the game, to learn the game, practice the game and master the intricate skills of the game with the help of a personal computer.
He no longer need to go out searching for a partner to play a game of chess. He can sit in front of his personal computer, visit the online chess site, select the partner and start playing the game.
There are other benefits of playing chess online.
Many websites come up with a unique way of calculating the level of your expertise in the game. All you have to do is to honestly reveal as to which category you belong to. If you are a novice or a beginner, you can disclose the same. If you are an expert you can declare yourself so.
Depending upon the level of your skill set as perceived and disclosed by you, the online chess site assigns you a basic rating, something like a rating of 1000 or 750, as the case may be. As a registered player with the online chess site with a rating of 1000 or 750 as the case may be, you can select a player having a similar rating and start playing the game.
If you register a win against that selected opponent, your rating will be increased by a certain number. If your manage to end with a draw, your rating will be increased by a certain number less than the number assigned for a victory. If you resign, lose or forfeit the game, then your initial rating will be deducted by a certain number.
As you increase the number of games you play online with the given rating, your level of expertise in terms of the rating will change. The more the percentage of games you register victories, the higher will be the rating.
If you grow up the ladder of rating, you will encounter stiffer battles and tough games against players with similar ratings. You have the choice to select a player with a higher rating than what was assigned to you, and if he opts to play with you, then you will be challenging a relatively skilled player. Exposure to more games and with skilled players will enhance your skill set at a relatively quicker pace. The most important thing is that you can know where you stand in terms of skill set you possess in the game.
Not only will you be able to gauge and keep track of your skill set in the game, you will get an opportunity to play with players from different countries and also interact with and exchange productive ideas on the game of chess. The online chess site provides with the facility of online private chats and this, coupled with the rating, motivates a chess player to grow up the ladder of expertise in the game of chess at a relatively faster pace.
Why should one play chess?
One of the noble games in the world is CHESS. Is it only a game played for fun, excitement and relaxation?
No. Chess is not just a game played for fun. Chess has more than fun and excitement to offer to the people. That is one reason why this game is still in existence and gaining more popularity even after having been first played in the 6th Century. A.D.
Chess is not a game meant for playing just by the children, or by the youngsters or some middle-aged people. There is no restriction on the age factor for this game. It is a universal game that can be played by either a 5-year old kid or a 70-year old man or woman. The game is not limited to any one specific place or country. It is a game that speaks only one language – the language of chess. There is no retirement clause in this game. As long as your mind is active and have the passion, you can play the game. The more you play the game, the more active will be your brain and the mind. As such, there is no limit or retirement for this noble game.
What is there in the game that makes it so special?
The game of chess helps a person develop his memory. Though the game has been in existence for more than 1500 years and is still growing, no two games can be said to have a same set of moves and yield the same result. This is one of the unique features of the game. Apart from some basic rules of the game, that includes the movements and the capabilities of the various types of pieces in the board, one need to spend a lot of time practicing and learning the different variations, openings, and niceties of the game. While you need not memorize the moves for the game, you should be aware of the different approaches to the game, the styles of the game, the principles of the game and such other things.
In the game, there is no provision for luck or chance. As a player, you need to think before making any move. In other words, thinking precedes action. If you make a wrong move, then you will be instantly punished. As such, your move should be a flawless one. In order to make in a flawless one, you need to think deeply with attention. This attention and deep thinking leads to concentration, yet another important trait. Concentration on the job and deep thinking on the job before action are important traits that will not only help you play the game well, but also help you in all other decisions in life.
As I stated earlier, no two games are identical and yield the same result from the start to the end. Because the possibilities and combinations that can be thought of and implemented within that square board comprising the 64 squares is innumerable. An indefinite number of combinations can be tried out by the two players who literally fight between themselves to gain an upper hand over the other and say, “Checkmate”. This opens up the opportunity for out-of-the-box thinking or imagination as well as creativity. The mind is opened up and the brain is put to more effective use. Is it not a great advantage?
One more interesting thing - have you ever thought of doing exercise to strengthen your brain and sharpen your mind? We visit to gym to tone up our muscles and bones; we undertake exercises such as walking, jogging, running and such other exercises to keep up our body fit and healthy.
What do we do to exercise the brain and stimulate the mind – both at the same time? Reading, writing, solving puzzles, crossword are some of the means psychologists advise to exercise your brain. But what do you do to both exercise the brain and at the same time stimulate the mind?
You can play chess to do the twin things of exercising the brain and stimulate the mind.
Now, with advancement of technology and increased use of the internet, any person having a passion for the game and feel the need to take your brain to a gym, can do so now by playing chess online.
Playing chess online not only stimulates the mind and exercises the brain, but also helps you overcome the boredom, excite you with fun and teach invaluable lessons for making the right decisions in life.
Play chess online to exercise your brain
One of the most important parts in our body, which requires adequate care and attention, is the brain. The brain regulates the normal working of the body and aids in our activities.
According to scientists, the only part in the body that comes fully grown at the time of birth is the brain. The brain contains as much as 100 billion neurons or brain cells, and by the age of six, these neurons or brain cells creates as much as 1000 trillion interconnections between themselves. After the age of 15, these neurons start shedding if left unused.
You might have heard about a phrase – “if you do not use it, you lose it”. This phrase is apt for the brain. The more we put to use the brain, the more the benefits we can reap out of it.
Just as we do exercises such as walking, jogging, and running to keep our body healthy for a longer time, the brain also needs regular exercise. If we do not exercise the brain as frequently as we can, then we are bound to suffer at a later stage, when the condition of the brain starts deteriorating. The common diseases such as Alzheimer and Multiple Sclerosis affect the brain the most.
How do we exercise the mind? Psychologists have come up with various recommendations to keep the brain active at all time and engage it in some sort of activities. Some common activities recommended to exercise the mind include reading, writing, doing some number crunching or arithmetic, solving puzzles, Sudoku or crosswords. It is true that all these simple exercises do help the brain exercise but these cannot be done in a single activity. Each one is a separate activity in itself and needs to be done individually. One cannot read and write at the same time with 100% concentration or attention all the time. While these activities do exercise the brain, it is difficult to engage oneself in any of these activities for a fair amount of time, atleast in the initial stages, and might lead to boredom.
Is there any one exercise that can include all the above-mentioned activities or atleast most of them in a single action so that the brain is exercised well? Will that exercise provide excitement and fun to the person doing that? The one thing that can do all these things is the board game called Chess.
Said to have been played since the 6th Century AD, chess is the ideal solution to exercise the brain. It is this unique quality of the game and its association with the life is that makes Chess the King of Games or the Game of the Kings.
Basically, chess is a board game played between two players across a 8x8 square board having 64 squares of alternate colors. Both the players were provided with 16 pieces each and should comply with some basic rules of the game. The objective of the game is to corner the opponent's Chief piece – the King – and saying checkmate. It is the most easiest game to learn but, by far, the most challenging game to play and gain expertise. But there are immense benefits of playing and gaining expertise in this game as this game teaches invaluable lessons to the life.
Chess is a thinking game that challenges your mind the most. There is no room for chance or luck in this game and the onus lies on the player to make the correct moves at the correct time. If you make a mistake, then you are out of the game or lose control over the game. The game requires a person to think, think deeply, concentrate, analyze, visualize, plan, decide and execute a series of tactics and strategies aimed at winning the game. The interesting aspect is that all tactics and strategies will yield the desired results as the opponent also will look at the same position and will take steps to nullify the strategies. This calls for dynamic planning. All these activities – thinking, concentrating, analyzing, visualizing and dynamic planning, will provide the much-needed exercise to the mind, without your knowledge that your brain is at serious work.
Playing the game is fun and entertainment to you and at the same time a rigorous workout for the brain. What else you want to have your brain exercised without you being even aware of the same.
Now, this exercise to the brain can be done whenever you want to do. The means is playing chess online. You can use your desktop PC or laptop to simply visit the online chess site, choose a partner and start playing the game.
Then, what are you waiting for ? Go ahead and put your brain to a rigorous exercise right away.
Is the trait of Indecision haunting you? play chess
One of the virtues that every one of us should cultivate and master is the art of decision-making driven by individual independence. This is one thing that many of us lack and at times take decisions that might not be beneficial to us in the medium term and long term. We rely on others to guide us with suggestions or helpful ideas, due to lack of conviction or self-belief.
Fear of failure or inability to face the consequences might be one of the reasons for indecision. One should avoid or eliminate this menace of indecision as it might lead to dire consequences especially in the later part. Lack of understanding or lack of willingness to take responsibility might also be the reasons for this indecision.
How one can overcome this menace of indecision and lead a better life?
Well. There are many ways the menace of indecision and lack of confidence can be tackled. But the best way is to learn and master the game of chess.
How can the game of chess help you overcome indecision?
The game of chess calls for serious logical thinking on the part of the players. It is not just serious thinking and logical analysis, but foresight, imagination, planning, analyzing and decision-making are the other important traits that one needs to have to master the game of chess.
Chess is a fair game and as a player, you are the master of your destiny in the game. You cannot blame other team members or the outside atmosphere, rain or heat as reasons for the failure in the game. There is no team as such, and you are responsible for the result in the game.
The game demands that one should not make any mistake during the course of the game. Because the only possibility for victory in the game is a mistake by the opponent for you to win and a mistake by you to allow your opponent to win the game.
Chess is, in a way, a cruel game in that it punishes you for wrong moves or mistakes. So, one should think deeply, assess the position, analyze the merits and demerits of each move, also foresee the possible reactions or counter-moves of the opponent and then finally take a decision to deploy a tactic or implement a strategy. All these decisions and final execution is done by you and only by you.
Awareness of the situation, understanding of the game and belief in yourself are needed before you take a decision to execute the move. If the move is countered and the ploy foiled by opponent, you do not deter and make another attempt in a different manner. Ultimately, you are left to take decisions and there is no room for being indecisive in the game.
As the rate of success in your moves increases, the level of understanding of the game will increase and at the same time, you will gain in confidence because the result is due to your capacity and nobody can claim credit for this success, except you. As the confidence oozes, the trait of indecision in you will fade out.
The lack of confidence will be replaced with self-confidence and this self-confidence, belief in yourself and your skill will help you take bold decisions or at least not remain indecisive.
Now learning the game of chess and gaining expertise through practice is made much easier through the means of computer and Internet.
Playing chess online is one of the best means to relax, have fun, challenge your mind and exercise your brain. You will get relaxed and at the same time overcome the menace of indecision.
Chess Links
Killer Chess Tips
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 10, 11 and 12
- Endgame Lessons From Game Twelve of the 2010
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 9
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 8
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 7